Kingdom of Albion
The Kingdom of Albion is a realm that covers all of the Island of Albion, and is one of three kingdoms that constitute the Crown of Alba. The Kingdom is made up of the main isle and its numerous offshore islands. The Kingdom is ruled by the Riothamus of All Alba from the Royal Palace and Fortress situated in the Royal City and Duchy of Camelot. The name of the Kingdom, and of the Island, comes from both Albion and Albina. The former was a son of Poseidon and the latter was the daughter of a Greek king. After marrying each other, they became the first King and Queen of the Alban peoples. The Kingdom has changed its regional divisions throughout the centuries, until the Great Reforms enacted under Arthur Pendragon set down the official partitioning of the Kingdom into Paramountcies, Shires and Manors. This same partitioning was also enforced in the two other Kingdoms that the Riothamus rules, the Kingdom of Hibernia and the Kingdom of the Isles. History Toward the latter end of the Third Mile of the World, in the 959th year, Albion, a son of the Greek god Poseidon, exiled himself to the Northern Isles after being defeated by Hercules. At the same time, Albina, the daughter of a Greek king, landed at the Isles after running away from her forced marriage. The two fell in love, and became the rulers of the small tribe of humans that lived in the Isles. They renamed the Isles Albion, and the people became known as the Albans. On his deathbed, Albion prophesied that a prince from across the sea would come to unify the people. In the fullness of time the prince arrived, one Brutus of Troy. He became King of the Albans, and subsequently went on to subjugate all of Albion and the isle of Hibernia. For this he was proclaimed High King. The descendants of Brutus have since ruled the Alban peoples, eventually taking the name of Pendragon. Albion's arrival to the land is counted as the first year of the founding of what became the Kingdom of Albion, and thus the 3959th Year of Creation is counted as the First Year of Albion (1 YA) in the Alban Calendar. Governance The reigning authority of the Kingdom has always been the King, but the government has changed over time. Since the days of King Arthur, the right to govern is divided between the King, through his Privy Council, and the Great Council, which is made up of the Common Council and the Lords Council. The King holds the Royal Prerogative to dissolve any one of the Councils, though such dissolution is only executed in extreme circumstances. Regions and Territories Over the centuries, the regions of Albion have changed. At the beginning of his reign, Arthur inherited the system of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather. These former Kings were quite liberal with their honouring of men, and so by the time Arthur became King, most of Albion was carved into various duchies, dukedoms, earldoms and other noble lands. Unfortunately, many of the nobles, especially the dukes who ruled the duchies, were given the Right of Knight's Service (or Right of Banner), which meant that they could form their own armies who carried their coat of arms in battle. It also meant that the more powerful nobles could, by conquest, assume the lands of other noble houses, allowing some higher nobles to amass huge territories. The three main nobles who epitomise this era are the Duke of Buckingham, the Duke of York, and the Duke of Cornwall, who were, for all intents and purposes, petty kings over their domains. As more of these types of lands appeared, it restricted the immediate jurisdiction of the Crown, meaning that by the time Arthur became King, the Crown's authority practically ceased at the gates of the Royal Duchy of Camelot. However, during the earlier part of Arthur's reign, a reform was set in motion that standardised the partitioning of Albion's land. After the Great Reforms, Albion (and Hibernia) was divided into Paramountcies, Shires, and Manors. Due to these Reforms the excessive authority of the nobility was curbed and this gave increasing power to the Crown. Economy The currency of the Kingdom is made up of coins of various metals. Some notable coins are the Sovereign, the Crown and the Penny. Other coins come into and out of circulation, but some like the aforementioned became standard coinage of the Kingdom. The coinage of the realm is minted by the Royal Mint, headed by the Lord Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Kingdom has a primarily agrarian economy. Since the days of the Great Reforms, the Kingdom has adopted a policy of producing the majority of its food supply locally, and to utilise as much of it arable land as possible. What it cannot produce locally, it imports from either Europe, or from further afield. The main export of the Kingdom is its prized wool. The Alban peoples have become the leading producers of fine quality wool, which is bought by the neighbouring European countries. One of the larger wool exporters in the Kingdom is the Church, whose many monasteries have sheep farms that specialise in growing wool. The tenants the Church hires for work on its farms usually make a nice profit off the wool, which has helped to boom the merchant class. More exotic foods, like citrus fruits and spices, are imported from either the Continent or from the Americas, the Africas or from Asia. The Kingdom has trade pacts with many of the countries from those Continents, allowing it to become a trading empire in its own right. It has become more of a rival to the powerful Kingdom of the Spains. Military Before the Great Reforms, the military system of the Kingdom was entirely feudal. There was no standing army, instead the nobility were granted the Right of Knight's Service (making them known as Banner Lords), meaning that they could keep their own armies which carried the banner of the noble House they served. When not fighting, the soldiers (officially referred to as Knights) tended to their families and lands, like the rest of the population. They kept their armour at home, along with their weaponry. Due to this system, if the King needed to go to war, he would have to summon the Lords Council and petition the Banner Lords to raise their armies to serve in his war. Unless the King impressed the urgency of the war, and the Lords felt the war was justified, a royal army would not be raised. This system worked in the sense that the King couldn't just war against anyone, and had to have a justified reason for declaring war. As the Knights worked on the lands of their Banner Lords, their deaths meant loss of production for the Lords, and also meant the paying of various levies, including the Sacrifyce Tythe, which was a payment of monies to the widow of a Knight who died in service. It was paid by the Banner Lord under whom the Knight was pledged to. The Tythe was paid in proportion to the wealth of the widow. Although this system worked to check the King's power, it corrupted the Banner Lords as there was no law that prohibited them from raising their armies in defence of their domains. If one Banner Lord felt threatened by another Lord, he would often raise his army and invade the other's domain, often annexing it to his own. Some of the Noble Houses that did this were the House of Buckingham, the House of York and the House of Cornwall. After a few centuries they had amassed huge domains, and since they were all raised to the rank of duchies, the Dukes could also legislate law within their domains, making them petty kings in all but name. This in turn restricted the power of the Crown to the point that the King's authority really did not extend beyond the Royal Duchy of Camelot, the Crownlands surrounding the City of Camelot. During the Great Reforms, it was decided that the Right of Banner was to be drastically altered. Rather than allowing Banner Lords raising and holding their own armies, instead they would be allowed to hold legions of the Royal Army in their domains. However, the Lords could not use the armies for their own usage, and the soldiers of the Royal Army were instructed to rebel against any Lord who tried such a thing. After the King, who was Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army, the Lords Paramount had supreme authority of the legions of the Royal Army, since they were also at the same time Knights Companion of the Order of the Round Table, and generals of the Army. The Royal Army has become considerably large over time, but also at the same time has received the distinction of being a well trained and formidable army. The Kingdom also has a Royal Navy, which it uses to patrol its coasts, as well as protecting trade ships travelling within its waters. The Royal Navy boasts the largest warships in Europe, though this is often contended by France and Spain. Culture The culture of the Kingdom is slit between the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon. The Celtic culture is predominate in Cornwall, Cambria, Caledonia, Hibernia, the Isles (including the Isle of Mann). The Anglo-Saxon culture is predominate in Anglia. Whilst the two cultures have their own languages, the most spoken is the Albanish, which is the official language of the Kingdom. After this, Latin is used for religious and state reasons. Religion Before the Age of Missions, Albion was home to various pagan religions. These various religions had their own pantheons, temples, priests and the like. However, there was also Christianity, which was brought to Albion by traders and settlers. This formed into what is named as Celtic Christianity. The Celtic Church had its own system and practises, even it own priesthood. However, when St. Augustine came from Rome, the Celtic Church eventually was annexed to the Roman Church, and adopted the Roman practises of the Augustine Mission, using Latin exclusively for its religious ceremonies. Paganism is officially prohibited in the Kingdom, as are all non-Christian religions. However, adherents of such religions may privately practise their religions. They are forbidden from proselytising and publishing, preaching or disseminating about their religions. Such activity is punishable under the Laws of Religion. The Laws of Religion also prohibit such things as public blasphemy to atheism to heresy. Prosecution of religious crimes is carried out by the Holy Inquisition, but any greater punishment is meted out by the civil authorities. The Laws of Religion state: Since crimes against Religion are the jurisdiction of the Holy Church, the civil authorities are prohibited from prosecuting such crimes, except at the express permission of the Church. Such crimes against Religion shall be prosecuted by the Holy Inquisition. Yet, for the better order of the Realm, the civil authorities, when called to do so, may impose the required punishment as determined by the same Inquisition. And also: Since the days of Lucius, who is called the Pious, the professed religion of the King's Majesty has been the Christian Religion. By command of the same Majesty, the religion professed by this Kingdom is to be the same. All other religions are deemed null, void and reprobate. Yet, the King's Majesty may tolerate such reprobate religions for the order of the Realm, providing the adherents of those religions do not exceed the limits of this present Law. Category:Crown of Alba